Anarchy | Book Two, The Genesis Series

Six

Amber thought that the pilot could've found a better area to drop them off at.

Not only were sweltering, sizzling environments such as Fengtai not really her cup of tea, but their squad's tedious, quarter-mile trek to the Marco Polo Bridge at the epicenter of the district had her feeling as if she'd just completed a marathon.

The civilian clothes she sported over her bio-enhancement suit were only augmenting the incessant heat. But according to Agent Kingston, they were a necessity; as long as they were wearing their civilian clothes, the residents of the area wouldn't suspect them to be anything more than a group of foreigners or tourists.

Luckily, she'd learned a few phrases during the five-hour journey to Beijing. Nothing too complex, just a few simple greetings, goodbyes, and a bit of small talk in case any of the locals were feeling extra chatty this particular afternoon.

After a hailstorm of mental debate, she had decided to stick to the third strategy Agent Kingston had given them, which primarily focused on containment. Currently, her squad was all spread out amongst the Marco Polo Bridge, which stretched over the Yongding River like a tightrope.

Since a vehicle would only complicate things due to the dense crowd, Jade had volunteered to remain in the middle of the bridge, as her ability to phase through any solid object would allow her to ignore any obstacle in her way if a chase ensued. Angelo and Benji had both been placed at both ends of the structure, since their abilities seemed much more well-suited for offense than Jade's.

As for herself, she had always preferred to be at the highest point on the battlefield. Not only did it enable her have eyes on everything in her squad's vicinity, but it also provided her with the advantage of identifying patterns and strays.

Plus, she saw better from a distance.

Her crisp, sky-blue eyes surveyed every inch of the bustling scenery like a surveillance camera as she took it all in. Even from the building she was crouched on top of, she could still tell that the live, overactive sidewalks were bursting at the seams with rambunctious chatter.

The bright-colored, vibrant buildings provided a warm sense of tranquility. She wasn't an army brat; she hadn't grown up with the luxury of living nearly everywhere like Kai had during his childhood, which is why she thoroughly enjoyed a nice change of scenery every once in a while.

But she couldn't let the mesmerizing scenery captivate her forever, though. She had a mission to complete. Apprehending the trio of fugitives and rescuing Cray by any means necessary was the sole objective here.

Shielding her face from the harsh rays of the blazing sun, she put two fingers to her earpiece. "Eclipse, any sign of our targets yet?"

"Negative." Benji replied, the obnoxious chatter able to be heard in the background. "I'll keep you posted, though. There's no way they could've left the area. Security's pretty tight around here."

"Alright, thanks." Amber responded before the channel went dead shortly after.

There wasn't a single doubt in her mind about Benji being a excellent choice for this mission. While the boy may have been blind, his heavily augmented senses would allow him to pick up even the smallest atmospheric disturbance before she and the others could even take note of it. Technically, he could 'see' better than any of them could.

Furthermore, the kid was right. All major and minor transportation units had been temporarily shut down the instant Cray was reported missing. The fact that the trio's faces had been plastered all over the district certainly didn't aid their chances at escaping.

A small battalion of armed officers resided at each end of the Marco Polo Bridge, checking the ID of anyone who passed through the tourist attraction. Their heads were constantly on swivel like the barrel of a turret, their hands lingering near the semi-automatic pistols holstered to their hips.